THE Provost of Argyll and Bute has claimed that the process of building a cycle path between Helensburgh and Dumbarton is becoming “a total farce”.

Helensburgh and Lomond South Conservative councillor David Kinniburgh also had it confirmed by a council officer that a community consultation on the route of the proposed path may be delayed for a third time.

Residents were first due to be consulted in March, but the exercise was then delayed until June, and is currently due to take place this month.

Colin Young, Argyll and Bute Council’s strategic transportation delivery officer, admitted it was “absolutely a risk” that the consultation may not take place this month either.

A council report indicated a further delay to the project, which is now not forecast to be fully complete until the spring of 2028.

Plans for a cycle path were drawn up in the early 21st century - a point referenced by Provost Kinniburgh during a virtual meeting of the council’s Helensburgh and Lomond area committee on Thursday.

READ MORE: Another report, another delay – Helensburgh-Dumbarton cycle path completion date pushed back yet again

He said: “I have to say this is becoming a bit of a farce. Everything sems to get held up.

“This community consultation was supposed to begin in March, then June, and now September.

"I asked at the last area committee meeting [in June] if the consultation being delayed again had any effect on the overall delivery of the path.

“I note now it has slipped to the end of 2027, which, when you think about it, with elections coming next year, is past the lifetime of the next council.

“This has been an ongoing project since 2000, and it just takes one slippage after another.

"The bridge being constructed at the moment [in Cardross, linking Geilston Burn with the railway station] was again delayed, and you had a couple of vans parked on site behind fences.

READ MORE: Public petition pleads for 'no further delays' to Helensburgh-Dumbarton cycle route

“They then disappeared for weeks, with no work carried out. For me, this is becoming a total farce.

“My question is that the committee is being asked to note the rescheduling of the community engagement to September.

"Do we have a firm date when that will begin?”

Mr Young responded: “We are awaiting final details to give full information [to the public]. I don’t have an exact date for it but we are working with the consultants to get final information to us.”

Provost Kinniburgh then said: “We are now at September 16, and the recommendation of the report is that the community engagement will be in September.

“But we cannot give a date, so does that mean there is a possibility that it is not going to start in September?”

READ MORE: Renewed calls to complete cycle path after tragic death of cyclist near Cardross

Mr Young said: “That is absolutely a risk. The report was written about six weeks ago. Things do change in that time, so there is a risk it may not begin in September.

“But officers are doing their best to get it started as soon as we can, because there is a lot of community interest and we really want that input.”

Helensburgh Central Conservative councillor Gary Mulvaney then said: “Maybe Councillor Kinniburgh is being overly critical of the timescale.

“The Great Wall of China took 2,000 years to build, so 27 years for a cycle path is maybe doing OK - although I think the Great Wall of China was 10,000 miles long and the cycle path is a bit shorter.”

He then admitted that the comments may have been "in jest".

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